Noumea Convention: Convention for the Protection of Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region

The Noumea Convention is a regional agreement to protect the marine environment of the Pacific Islands region.The main international body responsible for its implementation is the Secretariat of the South Pacific the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), part of UNEP's Regional Seas Programme, which (as of 2026) encompasses Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans in 18 regions around the world. Two Protocols have been established under the Noumea Convention, the Dumping Protocol and the Emergencies Protocol, both of which focus on managing, preventing and mitigating pollution. The implementation of the Noumea Convention and its Protocols is supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The history of the Noumea Convention and SPREP dates to the 1970s, rooted in an environmental programme within the South Pacific Commission (now the Pacific Community or SPC). SPREP became an independent intergovernmental organisation in 1993. The acronym SPREP originally stood for "South Pacific Environment Programme", but this changed to "Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme" to 2004. Today, SPREP not only functions as the Secretariat of the Noumea Convention and its Protocols, but also of two other regional environmental conventions (the Apia Convention and the Waigani Convention). As of 2026, SPREP has 26 Members, 12 of which are Parties to the Noumea Convention.